A federal lawsuit has been filed against express transportation company FedEx over the alleged death of an employee killed in a forklift accident in February 2022.

The family of Jessica James, 33, is seeking USD3.5 million in compensatory damages or the maximum allowed under US Tennessee law over her death at Memphis International Airport’s FedEx World Hub, according to Action News 5.

An investigation by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) found FedEx Express guilty of six “serious” violations and one “other-than-serious” violation, resulting in USD26,000 in penalties.

Investigators found that FedEx did not remove damaged yard ramps from service or provide forklift training on a yard ramp.

The company had also failed to ensure the use of seatbelts while operating a forklift and had not properly secured yard ramps to trailers prior to the forklift being operated on the yard ramp.

James, a team leader in heavy-weight operations, sustained fatal injuries when the forklift she was operating overturned and landed on her.